Earlier this year, the American Chemistry Council (ACC) released our inaugural sustainability report, "Sustainability Starts with Chemistry."
The title of the report says it all — you can’t advance sustainability without chemistry.
sustainability starts with chemistry
The report highlights the crucial role the chemical industry plays in addressing and solving the world’s sustainability challenges. Products, processes and technologies that many take for granted today, like clean drinking water, pasteurization and vaccines, began as breakthroughs in chemistry.
As global challenges grow more complex, the chemical industry continues to advance sustainable solutions. Today, ACC member companies are taking action to combat climate change, enhance water and air quality, innovate sustainable chemistry products and advance circularity in their products and operations.
One of the many sustainability challenges our industry is tackling is climate change. Chemistry is needed to manufacture a wide range of products that are critical to addressing climate change and reducing GHG emissions, from renewable energy solutions like solar panels and wind turbines, durable high-performance building materials, lightweight vehicle parts, EV infrastructure, advanced battery storage, hightech electrical products and more.
At the same time, chemical manufacturing is an energy-intensive industry. ACC members are taking steps to reduce GHG emissions in their own operations and track GHG intensity through Responsible Care®, the industry’s EHS performance initiative. Since 2017, ACC members have reduced GHG intensity by more than 8% and increased energy efficiency by more than 18%.
ACC member companies are also exploring, developing and deploying a variety of innovative technologies that help reduce emissions, including CCUS; loweremissions hydrogen and direct air capture; use of biomaterials and circular feedstocks and advanced recycling of plastics, among others.
ACC member companies are making progress to advance other key sustainability priorities. For example:
• ACC members publicly report progress in reducing facility air emissions through Responsible Care. Since 2017, ACC’s reporting members have reduced their SOx emissions by 43% and their NOx emissions by 18%.
• ACC members are working with community stakeholders to advance science-based community air monitoring programs to help share information about air quality.
• And, for ACC members, sustainability is not just about protecting human health and the environment. It’s a key component of their strategy for business resilience and financial success.
What’s good for the environment is also good for the bottom line — by slashing energy consumption, curbing emissions and streamlining operations to conserve water and reduce water, companies can drive efficiency, cut costs and enhance their global competitiveness.
To enable sustainability progress, we need to protect and grow U.S. manufacturing so we can continue to make crucial chemistry products and technologies right here in the U.S. Yet, the chemical industry is continuing to face increasing regulations, which is hindering the ability of ACC member companies to continue to manufacture products that support national priorities and contribute to broader sustainability goals.
We know that America’s success relies on American chemistry. ACC and its members are proud to be advancing responsible, sustainable manufacturing to create the products and processes crucial not only to their business success but also to building a more sustainable future.
For more information, visit accsustainability.org.
